My Name is You
by Knight of The Wind
Summary: While returning to his village after an errand, Steve finds that there's nothing left to return to. With nowhere to go, the miner walks away from reality with his head hung. That is, until someone who isn't supposed to exist saves his life for reasons he can't comprehend. As a mysterious adventure unfolds around him, Steve sets out to find who the man with the glowing eyes is.
1. Blank Eyes Watching

The sun shone through the upstairs window, waking the middle-aged man up. He yawned as he sat up on the bed. Another long day was ahead of him and he knew it. People around there could never leave him alone. Not like he hated them, but it did get tiring to run errands all the time.

He took his time with breakfast, a simple meal of bread, an apple, and a cup of milk. He sat back, enjoying the few minutes he knew he had left before the day officially began. Fang, his wolf, seemed content to just sleep for the day, and the man decided to let him do just that. Gearing up, he took a deep breath and opened the door.

He blinked as he saw that no one was around. He allowed himself to smile. Maybe today would be-

"_STEVE! STEVE! OVER HERE!_"

Never mind.

Steve sighed and turned towards the one calling him. It was the doctor of the village.

"Good morning, Doc. What is it?"

"Good morning, Steve" the doctor replied, obviously in a hurry, "I have a patient, you see, and I think he might...well..."

"Ok, Doc. Let's go" the miner sighed.

Steve didn't need the educated man to finish. Someone was turning into a...he'd wait 'til he actually saw the villager before letting it come to that.

The village's doctor took him to his clinic. It wasn't big or fancy, but it was enough. It wasn't hard to spot the sick man. His eyes were out of focus and his skin was a pale green. Steve absent mindedly reached for the iron sword on his back.

"Thank you for coming, Steve. I hope it won't come to..."

"Yeah. That's fine"

The doctor went back to his work and had the villager drink a few things. But it wasn't enough. The older man was muttering to himself in worry. What was so important about some guy?

"No...he's too far off now. I've nothing else to give him...unless.."

"Unless what, Doc?"

"The city," the white-clad man replied slowly, "The city has what I need. If we're lucky, this poor man may have until nightfall"

"What do you need me to get?" Steve asked. The errands may be tiring, but he wasn't selfish enough to just let an innocent man die.

"A golden apple"

Steve thought for a second.

"Alright, Doc. I'll see what I can do"

"Thank you, Boy. Stay safe"

As Steve left, he could have sworn he heard 'Hang in there, Father'. So that's why it was so important. It explained the Doc's worry. Steve decided that the first place to go would be the blacksmith. He wouldn't waste time going to the city if there was no need. A short walk later, he walked into the shop.

"Who's there?" the blacksmith asked roughly.

"It's me, Smith"

"Steve? What brings you here?" 'Smith', as Steve jokingly called him due to his occupation, wondered out loud.

"The Doc's having some troubles with a patient. He's turning. Don't know when a zombie got to him, but it seems like it's the Doc's dad. He needs a golden apple. Got any ingots?"

"The Doctor, eh? That man needs a nurse or something, too much work on him. Poor man, too, seeing his dad like that. I'm pretty sure I've got _something_ "

Smith walked over to his stack of chests, opening the one labeled 'Gold'. He looked inside for a bit and turned back to Steve with a frown.

"Steve, I, uh, don't have..." he turned to look in the chest again, as if to double check, but when he looked back up, Steve was gone.

Wind was blowing through his face, his hands tight on the reins. It was a long way to the city, and Steve knew it. He'd gotten on his horse, Portris, and taken off just about the moment he saw the frown on his acquaintance's face.

Steve had been feeling pretty good, quite confident that his task could easily be accomplished. There were a few skeletons already burning in the sunlight, but that didn't keep the miner from finishing the job anyway. At the speed he was going he wasn't able to pick up too many bones, but Fang would be pleased.

After almost three hours on Portris, Steve was finally able to see the city off in the distance...what was the name again? Steve dismissed it quickly. It didn't matter all that much and he was bound to find out once he got there.

As he neared, he could see a lot of movement. The city was bustling with people moving, doors opening and closing, and he was sure he heard and explosion.

...An explosion?

Steve dismissed that thought as well. '_Just my imagination. After all, the place _is _very loud'_

Feeling a bit uneasy, but determined to get what he went there for, he moved forward. The people of the city looked weirder and weirder the closer he got. He laughed to himself. The stress of such sophisticated and complicated work was sure getting to them. He still couldn't see every detail, but they seemed to be dressed in a teal shirt and purple pants...All of them. _'That's...odd'_

Still, not enough sleep for sure. They were going to doors and smacking themselves with them. He was really close now and anything that happened at that point, he knew, couldn't be in his head.

Which meant that the explosion that followed the thought had to be real. The citizens didn't react to it, though, just kept running into doors in the tattered clothing with-

With their arms extended in front of them.

Steve didn't notice Portris give out from under him, the horse's knees bending deeply to rest. Not taking his eyes off the tall buildings, he tied Portris to a nearby fence.

"Stay, boy" Steve distractedly said to Portris, putting down hay in front of him.

The miner walked into the city, the sign with it's name on it torn down.

'_Great'_

Many structures were blown open, the streets widely torn and dug into. Far off, he saw a green figure walk to a building and-

And there was an explosion.

Panic rushed through Steve's veins as he ran, not knowing where his feet were taking him. He found himself near a zombie and decided to do what he knew he now had to.

Pulling his sword out from behind him, Steve ran the first one through. With another one next to it, he sliced through the side of the zombie to get the second one's arm, which distracted him long enough to get a sword through his head. The miner felt a stinging heat course through his left arm and out of the corner of his eyes saw the arrow fly by.

And something came to him.

'_Why aren't these stupid things burning up?'_

The question answered itself as he noticed the tall shadows cause by the buildings.

'_Perfect'_

His thoughts were interrupted by another arrow, this one narrowly missing the back of his head.

Steve dropped to a crouch and swung his sword, effectively knocking the Skeleton off his feet. He quickly pushed the blade through the monster's middle, running off to deal with the others. There was a group of both Zombies and Skeletons ahead of him, and he realized he had no plan. And to his horror, he had three Creepers behind him. Steve charged forward, decapitating the nearest Skely, since with those stupid arrows, they didn't have to be near him to cause damage.

As he went into the midst of them, he realized there were about twenty more monsters than he originally thought there were.

And he suddenly got quite an idea.

Running to one of the zombies, he jumped and pushed off of its face, the Creeper behind him exploding on the other monster, effectively taking out a good chunk of them. His feet landed on the ground firmly, but his backward momentum pushed against his effort to move forward, forcefully bringing him down into a sitting position with two Creepers towering over him, shaking and glowing violently.

Steve shut his eyes...

"Owww..." the miner groaned as he slowly sat up. The pain flaring through his entire being was unbearable, but since he could feel it everywhere it meant, at the very least, that all of his body was there to be able to feel it.

Steve looked around him. The entire city was a mess. A blown up and flooded mess.

And now he'd never know the stupid place's name.

He used his sword, which had thankfully been very close to him, as a crutch and stood up.

'_I really should have put on that armor'_

He sighed as he realized that the sun was setting. It was probably already too late for the man, but he would try anyway.

Slowly and painfully he looked around the broken city. Nothing. He was about to give up when a few feet ahead of him he saw it. It wasn't gold that he saw, nor an apple. He had found the completed product.

A golden apple.

He stumbled across the blocks and bent to pick up the apple, the cracking in his back almost convincing him that he was getting too old. Steve admired the fruit and made his way back to a well-rested Portris. A second before he left, he was sure he saw something glowing white.

A pair of white-glowing eyes.

He gently undid the lead from the fencing, which gratefully was still there. Portris may've run off otherwise. Steve climbed on the horse, slumping his torso and head against the mammals neck. As if understanding his exhaustion, Portris went at a gentle pace.

Steve's eyes opened to a desert bobbing up and down. Confused at first, he realized that his pillow was Portris. Shaking off the tiredness, he tightened his grip on the horse. In return, Portris pushed off his front legs, leaning on the back ones and gave a horse's equivalent to a shout of joy before taking off at a sprint. Steve had to ignore the pain in his neck and went on through the darkness. The Doc's father may already be turned, but Steve was sure he'd heard somewhere that they could still be turned back, given the apple and isolation.

With one hand holding on, he used the other one to eat a piece of bread. With the screaming from his stomach dying down, he was able to focus on the road ahead of him. As he leaned forward and whipped the reins, Portris was growing more and more excited. They were going so fast that he was able to see the village's dim light an hour quicker than he had seen the city. He could feel Portris slowing down, but he horse's body language pointed to being happy. He had been unconscious a few hours, so Portris had probably been quite bored.

The village seemed very bright in the darkness of the night as he got closer. He could _feel _his bed calling out to him. He was worn. Portris slowed to a trot as the village neared.

'_Man. The village looks _so _bright. Almost violently so'_

Wait.

Violently?

Portris went back to a run and dread filled Steve as he realized that there was fire on the village.

'_No...No, no, no, no...'_

Portris stopped at the small hill that overlooked Steve's home. The miner dismounted his horse and walked to the edge, Portris following behind him.

Steve's eyes widened in horror and his body felt pierced by thousands of blades as the impact of reality hit him thoroughly.

The village was littered with Zombies, Skeletons, Creepers, and Spiders. Sieges at every house. Fire was ablaze across the small town. Steve watched his house collapse completely, watched the town church blown into pieces. He saw a turned villager attacking another, a villager dressed in...

...dressed in white.

The Doc.

Steve pulled out the golden apple, studying it, his mind in turmoil.

And in that moment of anger, of hatred, of depression and fierceness of heart he made his decision.

And turned away, going on his way without looking back.

And unbeknownst to him, white-glowing eyes watched him as he did so...

...Fang was gone. Dead. Killed by the collapsing of his house. The villagers were dead, burned alive in the fires or murdered by the monsters. The livestock was dead. The crops nothing but ash.

Steve sat in complete silence, staring at the fire he had made. It was a nice source of warmth in the cold night air. The flames burned freely, brightly.

The flames in the village had burned brightly too.

In a rage, Steve turned away from the heat source, currently uncaring about the chills down his spine. Portris was asleep next to him, and the miner leaned on his partner, letting exhaustion take over once more...

A week. Steve had been walking for a week. Hadn't looked back once. His goal was to move forward, as far away from reality as he could. He had somehow found chickens and cows in the most barren of places, where there was no water or shade for them to have been there. Hay in random places that kept Portris well-fed.

He had never noticed the blank eyes that watched over his sleep...

A month. It had been a month. He had more oakwood than he knew what to do with, more cobblestone than he would use as a nomad. His sword was gone. It had fully dulled, and was of no use. His pickaxe was next, and he would then have nothing else except a bunch of wood weapons that would last nothing.

Which was bad, since the magical supply of meat had disappeared, and he couldn't very well eat hay.

One day, as Portris trotted with a passed out master on his back, the dark horse found himself at a loss.

On his back, lay his master. And yet, a few yards in front of him, his master stood. The horse panicked slightly, but before any move could be made, the man was gone.

The only proof he was ever there was a cow he'd left behind.

...Night had fallen. Portris sat next to Steve, offering silent company. Steve himself was eating a portion of the cow that had been unlucky enough to run into him. The night was pretty creepy. Steve had purposely averted his eyes from the purple orbs staring at him. Some had gone away, but there were still a few Endermen around. Knowing that as long as he didn't bother them they wouldn't bother him, Steve fell asleep.

_ He stumbled across the blocks and bent to pick up the apple, the cracking in his back almost convincing him that he was getting too old. Steve admired the fruit and made his way back to a well-rested Portris. A second before he left, he was sure he saw something glowing white. _

_A pair of white-glowing eyes._

_ In the depths of his dream, Steve found himself watching the event at the city from a different perspective, where he could see himself. The glowing eyes were especially strange to look at, just floating there, staring at his other self. _

_Things took a turn from what had happened. Steve started hearing noises, strange rustling noises, a breeze from nowhere by his side and-_

Steve woke with a start. It was still dark. And in the blackness of the night, he could hear _something_. He wasn't sure what though.

That is, until he realized he was staring right into the eyes of an Enderman.

"Man, that's not fair" Steve whispered to himself. And really it wasn't. It wasn't his fault that the stupid creature from the End had decided to stand there the moment he woke up. Now that he thought about it, the Enderman was probably the one who woke him up.

The miner sat, knowing that he couldn't do much at that point. The Enderman was shaking with rage, his jaw wide open. Steve stared back at the monster. They didn't tend to move when you did so.

He had been doing pretty good, but a whimper from Portris had him turn around.

Oh no.

The Enderman was to his left, walking towards him. Steve punched him, only to have him teleport a few feet in front. The second puch did nothing to him, and the miner found himself flying through the air.

Steve hit the ground roughly, sliding a few feet across the sand. As he tried standing, he felt a kick connect against his stomach, which sent him off again. This time, there was a nasty cracking sound from his left arm and he was stopped by a cactus. Steve yelled out in shock and painfully slid to the floor, only to be brought up again as the Enderman looked him straight in the eyes and re-opened his mouth.

Steve's vision began to blur, turning different shades of white and gray. At the last moment, he noticed something in the Enderman's mouth.

An Ender Pearl.

With all the strength he could muster, Steve shoved his right hand into the Enderman's mouth, grabbing the pearl and teleporting next to Portris. He limply placed his left arm on the horse, preparing to leave, when something kicked off the pearl and stepped on his hand, successfully fracturing it. Steve was left with his arms spread and the thing, he now realized it was another Enderman, stomped on his chest.

Steve spat blood along with saliva as he screamed in pain. Now both Enders towered over him. He couldn't help a smile crack along his lips.

Literally, crack. They had chapped due to the area and the fear, and blood now slightly tainted them. Still, he even laughed. A deep, gurgly laugh that sounded disgusting due to the blood in his throat and mouth.

He laughed because of the reason that he was about to die. It was because he woke up from a dream at the wrong time. What a lame way to die.

The Endermen opened their mouths once more and Steve said a mental goodbye to Portris as his vision slowly deteriorated.

'_Good...by-wha...?'_

For a reason Steve didn't understand, the Endermen had teleported back. As his vision cleared, he saw that someone was standing with his back to him.

The man turned slightly, as if to check on him. The miner only caught sight of the side of his face, an eye to exact.

A blank, white-glowing eye.

The man turned back to the Enders. Before either could move, he had run one of them through.

With his _hand_.

He cast the Ender's limp form off his hand and turned to the other one, looking into his purple eyes with no emotion showing in his own blank ones.

The Enderman opened his mouth in anger and in a second, he was no longer able to close it.

The man had forced it to stay open by ramming lit dynamite into the Ender's mouth.

At the man's will, an Ender Portal opened beneath the Ender creature's feet without any frames. The Ender fell in, soon to explode in his own dimension and harm others there.

The man just stood there as the portal closed, staring into the night.

"You!" Steve suddenly yelled, "You were at the city! You were there! Who are you?"

The man fixed both of his empty eyes on Steve, and the miner felt scared for reasons unknown to him.

"I've been called many things. Some call me 'Evil'. Others, say 'Him'. Some," the man chuckled as he said the last part, a deep, throaty laugh, "Some don't like to talk about me at all. Yet, there are others still. They call me Herobrine"

Steve's breath caught in his throat. He'd heard the name before, and the stories.

"Notwithstanding, all of those are wrong," the man now identified as Herobrine continued, "In reality-"

Steve's eyes widened as in less than a second, Herobrine was behind him, his not-often-used voice carrying into the miner's ear.

"In reality, Steve. I'm just like you"

And then he was gone.

**A/N: Well, there you have it. Now, I know Herobrine generally doesn't talk, but if keep him serious and with a cool voice, I think it works. Please review and I'll try having the next chapter up shortly. Thanks ^-^**


	2. New Snow to See

...Herobrine was behind him, his mostly unused voice carrying into the miner's ear.

"In reality, Steve, I'm just like you"

And then he was gone.

Steve stared at the space where 'Herobrine' had been. The silence was eerie, as if nothing had ever happened, as if he hadn't almost just died.

Almost as if he hadn't just been saved by someone who wasn't supposed to exist.

"This is ridiculous" Steve said aloud, followed by painful fits of coughing. With 'Him' showing up, plus the adrenaline that had kicked in, he had momentarily forgotten about the injuries.

But with said adrenaline wearing, the full extent of the pain was rushing through him. Steve fell over, against a very terrified Portris who thankfully didn't decide to leave. His left arm was broken and he knew it. He couldn't do much with his right hand either, but at least it wasn't quite as bad. Steve knew he had to go get help. Question was, from who? From where?

Before he could answer either of those questions, let alone the thousands flying through his head, the miner passed out from exhaustion...

...Consciousness slowly seeped back into Steve. He tried opening his eyes, but the light bothered a lot more than it should have. His head was in extreme pain. Was it a migraine? His throat felt itchy and sore.

Put all of those together and he was definitely having a hangover.

Steve groaned in pain as he opened his eyes to a wooden ceiling above him.

Wooden ceiling?

The miner's eyes were now not only open, but widely so. As he snapped his head to the side-

Bad idea.

Steve's world went spinning sideways as darkness took over.

He thought he heard someone's voice gently asking to stop...

"... -on't know who he is. A man came in here and dropped him off, no name, nothing. He was wearing a hood, so it was hard to recognize. He seemed to almost be glowing.."

Words registered through Steve's brain as he came to again, albeit being much more careful that time around. Even through the daze, he knew that the fact that someone was glowing was supposed to mean something, but he couldn't figure what. Though with blurry vision, Steve could see an old man wearing a white coat. So, his first assumption was that he was in some sort of clinic, which proved to be correct. Steve waited quietly as another man whom the doctor had been speaking to left. Said doctor then turned to him, sitting next to the bed he lay in.

With full comprehension returning, he could feel something on his left arm.

A cast.

His right hand was wrapped up, and he had several large bandages on different areas.

"It's good to see you up, uh-"

"Steve" the miner quickly said.

"Thank you. So, Steve, how are you feeling?"

"Like I'm having a hangover"

The doctor frowned.

"Ah, yes. You woke up while I was relocating some of your bones. Anesthesia was impossible to inject into you since you were thrashing, so I decided to drunk you instead"

Steve snorted in amusement at this.

"Where am I?"

"Why, you are in the village Arlia Wolf, in the Land of Snow"

"I'm in the Land of Snow?" Steve choked, looking out the window to be greeted by slow-descending snow flakes.

"Indeed, you are"

Steve's eyes suddenly widened at the thought of untamed wolves.

"Where's Portris?" he asked frightened, his tone demanding an answer.

"Portris? Ah, that must be your horse. He is in the barn getting rest. The man who brought you and Portris didn't say anything about what to do with him"

"The man who...what..?"

"The gentleman who brought you and your horse here. Do you not know what I am talking about? Do you remember what happened?"

Steve thought on that...Herobrine. It had to be him. 'Mr. I'm just like you'. Why did he bring him here? Steve wasn't even sure why the mythical being had saved him from those Endermen. He shook his head. He could ask next time he saw him.

What? What guaranteed there could be a next time?

Steve shook his head once more and answered.

"I was attacked by Endermen and then..." should he say it? "And then everything sort of faded, and now I'm here"

"I see" the doctor mused over the information. If he thought that Steve was hiding something from his story, he didn't show it.

"So, you don't know _how_you ended up here, but you remember what happened. Whoever the man who brought you in was must've seen you when you were hurt"

"Yeah," Steve agreed slowly, "Yeah, probably"

"Now, Steve as you no doubt know, your left arm is broken and your right hand is fractured.

"I figured" he snorted.

"Which means you'll have to stay here for a while"

That caught the miner's attention.

"Hu? How long?"

"I'd say a month or two"

"Oh, just a month, that's fine" Steve said offhandedly, "Wait, _what_?"

"What's wrong?"

"A month? I can't stay a month!" he said, waving his cast-arm around frantically.

"Why not? Are you in a rush to get somewhere?"

Steve stopped short.

"Well...," he tried weakly, "I guess not, but still, a mon-"

"If you don't have to get anywhere, I don't see what the big problem with staying here is, Steve"

That...was true. He had nowhere to go anyway, nowhere to stay. He could stay here, find a new home, run errands for villagers.

Watch it burn down.

Steve blinked. If he decided to live here, he would make sure, would do so with his life, that familiar events were not repeated.

"Yeah..you're right, Doc" Steve said as he tried standing up. The doctor helped him get to his feet and kept him up, "Could you take me to Portris?"

"Of course...I'm Warren"

Steve nodded in acknowledgement and the two slowly made their way out of the small clinic. Walking sent burning sting through his legs, but at least most of the weight was being carried by Warren.

The sun was nothing more than a comforting warmth through the thick snow clouds that poured out their hearts in slow, small, frozen flakes. Steve looked around him as they walked.

The village was enormous. Not only were the houses big, there were a lot of them. Wolves were running around happily, no collars around their necks.

'_Fang__...'_

They passed by a larger-than-usual blacksmith and Steve had to look away, unwanted memories already rushing to his mind.

He was thankful when Warren announced that they were almost there.

Sure enough, within a few moments, Steve found himself staring at a barn.

"Well, don't be shy" Warren chuckled as he opened the door. They walked inside, Steve's eyes flying over the area. There were different horses around the place, but none could be confused with Portris's onyx coat of hair.

"Warren, where's..."

"Don't worry. He's outside," the scarred man said as he opened a back gate.

The two stood in a large, open field with older, more active and energetic horses.

Portris was by far the best of them, proving it by getting to Steve seconds after they came out.

"Portris!" Steve cried with joy as the large mammal lowered his head to be petted.

"My, isn't that a good boy" Warren said.

"Yeah, he is" the miner winced as he moved his fractured hand over Portris's nose bridge.

Portris bent his knees and sat. Steve climbed on and the dark horse took off at a slow trot. The slight bounce from the pace somehow made this new place feel like home...

Two weeks later, Warren removed the bandages from Steve's hand. With that nuisance out of the way, the miner could be of some use again.

He considered going back to running errands, but there probably wouldn't be much to do. This village was so prosperous, they only traded to help others, not because they needed anything.

And having nothing to do, led him back to...

Herobrine.

What did he mean 'I'm just like you'? What was he, anyway? Herobrine was nothing more than a legend, a myth, a story to keep little kids in bed at night.

And yet, he'd been saved by that myth.

Steve often tried convincing himself that it was just an impersonator, some person with nothing better to do. Well, if he was, then Steve was grateful.

But there was something about the way things felt when 'He' had been there.

Something _real__._

_He_was real.

And now, Steve had to find him. If Herobrine _was_real, then everything said about him most likely was too. And if an entity with so much power had for some reason not only saved his life, but also claimed that they were exactly alike...

Something was up. Steve didn't know why, but he would go to the ends of the world to find out.

To find _him__._

He just needed time to come up with a plan, to come up with some way to find Herobrine again.

'_Granted__' _Steve thought.

A month and a half was plenty of time.


	3. To Be Grateful or Not to Be

"Whoo! Now _that _is nice, isn't Portris?" the dark horse neighed supportingly at his master, both admiring the wooden house in front of them.

"Not bad, for something built in a few days with a single arm" Steve said, wiping sweat from his brow.

The miner had been determined to not stay at the clinic, and he didn't want to burden Warren. So, despite the doctor's many protests, Steve had gone out to build. He had been worried at first, since the sun was setting and he could hear the zombie's complaint along with the creepy clicking noise of a skeleton's bones.

Oddly enough, both sounds stopped abruptly when they had gotten just a bush behind him. That got him thinking...

"C'mon, Boy. Let's get Warren" Steve grinned, thinking of how his older friend would react to seeing the large, two-floor house. Portris shook his head, almost as if he understood what was to come-

"_What the Nether! Did you do this, Steve!?" _Warren exclaimed angrily, turning to the smirking miner.

"Uh...no"

"Why, you..." the doctor breathed in deeply and slowly, "Whatever. You're not hurt are you?"

"Well, my hand started to hurt a lot yesterday," it had...that also got him thinking, "but I woke up fine"

"Indeed"

Not five minutes later, Steve found himself in the middle of a physical test.

"C'mon, Doc, do I have to?" the miner wined.

"Be mature about this, Steve. Hurry, off with the clothing"

Steve muttered something Walter couldn't quite catch, but he thought it might have sounded like, 'Dumb Doctors and their dumb procedures'.

"Pardon, Friend?"

"Nothing, nothing"

Warren could only laugh.

Now in bed, and to Steve's amusement it wasn't in his newly-built house, the miner had time to _really _think. With no distractions. No worry of finishing the home he had begun to make, of an overly-preoccupied doctor (who, he reminded himself, meant well and had become a good friend), of some guy with-

With white-glowing, blank eyes.

False. That _was _the worry. Worry wasn't the word for it, it was a _problem_. A big problem. With 'problems' in mind, he decided to run his list of those over.

"Let's see here… My house burnt down, my entire _village,_" he paused, "Burnt down. A mythical and powerful being who isn't supposed to exist saved my life. Wow. A lot shorter than it seems. Whoops, almost forgot Fang's dead. Life's really become terrible hasn't it Steve?"

The miner was about to close his eyes and let sleep overtake him...

"And there are no good things, Sir?" a warm and soft voice full concern asked gently.

"Warren?"

"No good things?" the doctor asked again.

"Well," Steve shifted positions and sat up on his bed, "Well, sure there are. You're one, of course...and then what? I've nothing, really"

The older man brought a hand to his white beard and thought. Surely, the boy had to have things to be grateful for and glad of. What did he mean he had nothing? What had happened?

"What about Portris?"

Steve smiled.

"Yeah, can't forget Portris"

"Well, we wouldn't want to let the fact that you're still alive slip your mind, now would we?"

The miner was now laughing.

"Of course, Warren. I'm still alive"

"And the gentleman that brought you here?"

That brought Steve short.

"Warren how'd you get in here?" he asked in sudden interest.

The doctor seemed shocked.

"Why, I used the door, Friend" he laughed.

"_Okay_, Warren, how did I not notice?"

"You were too busy wallowing deep in your self-sorrow"

Steve winced. He knew the educated man was only being honest and putting it simply for him.

The fact that he was right was what hurt.

"Listen, Steve. You've been here for near two months. I'm not saying you owe me, but I do believe I should at least know who you are. I don't call you friend just because, but our friendship cannot grow if I do not know you are"

Steve took in the words. Something felt so… fatherly about them. The time he'd spent in Arlia Wolf did rush by, but he had felt a growing bond with the old man. A bond he'd never had with his own father.

"Why?" Steve found himself asking, "Why do you care?" The question came out rougher than he had intended it to, but he suddenly felt the need to know why this man cared about him.

This time, there was no amusement in his eyes and the shock that registered through was real.

"Why, after finding you in the state you were in and nourishing you back to health over the last few weeks, why would I not care that you're not only physically healthy but also mentally so?"

Steve wouldn't have been able to explain his frustration. It was as if the old man was toying with him, but… he was just answering the question.

"But, what do you care if I'm mentally healthy, whatever. Why didn't you just let me go when I was fine enough to walk around?"

"Let me answer your question with one of my own: If you had one day seen me, say, in your yard with a broken arm and multiple fractured bones and a horse, what would you have done?"

The miner sighed and ran a hand through his hair. Thoughts blurred through his mind and he didn't realize he was talking until he started running out of breath.

"The village that I called home burnt down after an attack and a giant siege of it, I literally watched my house fall. I walked for like a month through all kinds of terrain and I somehow found food. I got attacked by Endermen and was saved by-"

"By a mythical and powerful being who isn't supposed to exist?"

Steve only nodded and continued.

"And apparently he brought me here afterwards and hasn't showed up again, but I know he's been here, watching me, I just _feel _it and-and-"

"And you are stressed?"

"Yes!" he said with a loud exhale, sarcasm dripping from his voice, "Because through all of that, stress is the only thing I'm feeling!"

"Well, if you feel anything else, _feel _free to tell me. I bid you a good night, Sir. Rest well"

And he was gone.

Steve collapsed on his pillow. Why did he tell him all of that? Why did he get so sarcastic? Why was he rude? Why was he-

"Why does he talk to me like I'm his son?"

"Because maybe he's trying to keep you from ending up like him"

There was no mistaking that voice. Chills ran down the miner's spine and his eyes widened. He slowly turned his head.

There they were. His blank eyes fully fixed on him, glowing violently inside the dark room. Steve mustered up anger he hadn't known he was holding. Suddenly, everything he wanted to know flew out of his mind, and only the new topic was important.

"What are you talking about?What do _you _know?" he spat.

"Much more than you"

"Then quit playing games and tell me!"

"This is how you ask? I'm amazed such a kind, old man would waste his breath on a pathetic punk like yourself"

Steve's anger only rose at his calm and harsh demeanor.

"Pay attention, Miner" Herobrine said, the glow in his eyes dimming. He leaned forward in his chair, the same chair Warren had been in.

"Warren grew here in Arlia Wolf. He married and had a son. His wife died from a stroke, and he and his son were left alone. The boy got depressed and left"

Herobrine stopped. He seemed to shake as he sat.

"What happened?"

"His body was found a week later"

Steve didn't need further explanations. Except...

"But...how does that relate to..me?"

Herobrine stood in a rage, knocking his chair back. Air blew strongly on the miner's face. Stronger than the air on Steve's face, was the anger on Herobrine's.

"He's trying to protect you, Brainless!" he said in a shrilling whisper, "You want to come looking for me? You want your questions answered? You're a lost cause, Steve!" Herobrine started laughing that deep laugh, full and loud, "That old man doesn't want to see anymore death. He doesn't want you to go and get yourself killed," Herobrine weighed the odds with his head and shrugged his shoulders, "Which you will likely do if you're not careful"

Steve was choked up in hatred. Herobrine's eyes glowed in amusement as he said the last sentence.

"Anything to say?"

"Why?"

"Asking that question a lot tonight, aren't _we_?"

Steve jumped from his bed angrily.

"Why did you save me that night?"

"From the Endermen?"

"No, from the sheep"

"Getting testy?" Herobrine mocked with a cock of his head.

"Answer me!"

"You think I saved _you_?" the mythical man laughed, "Those Endermen were punished for being out of place"

"You sent them into the End with dynamite! You harmed others there!"

Herobrine hesitated. Before he could defend his point, Steve spoke again, albeit with some stuttering.

"A-a-an-and you brought me here! To this village!"

"I am not a monster, I would not have just let you die"

"Oh please, Herobrine!" Steve said exasperated, "You're real, right? So, what about the stories? How many have you killed? Was it an entire Land in one night?" the miner smirked as he saw Herobrine seething, "You could've left me for dead. You _saved _me, Herobrine. So, tell me wh-gah!"

Steve found himself struggling for air as Herobrine's fingers wrapped around his throat.

"Feeling smug, Steve? You think you have me trapped in a corner? That because you were able to connect two thoughts and make a conclusion I'm forced to answer you? Do you know who I am?"

If he wanted that question answered he didn't show it, instead throwing Steve through the upstairs window with such force some of the wood was also broken off.

Steve screamed as he landed painfully on his back. Through the wave of pain, he saw Herobrine materialize in front of him. He was lifted by his shirt.

"_Do you know who I am?" _Herobrine demanded again, "I do as I do, no questions asked. Instead of trying to interrogate me, didn't cross through your head to be grateful?"

Steve remembered very quickly.

_The older man brought a hand to his white beard and thought. Surely, the boy had to have things to be grateful for and glad of. What did he mean he had nothing? What had happened?_

"_What about Portris?"_

_ Steve smiled._

"_Yeah, can't forget Portris"_

"_Well, we wouldn't want to let the fact that you're still alive slip your mind, now would we?"_

_ The miner was now laughing._

"_Of course, Warren. I'm still alive"_

"_And the gentleman that brought you here?"_

Steve was passing out. He knew it. But before everything faded, he made up his mind.

"Thank...you…" He gasped, "...Herobrine"

And then… nothing.

But when he woke up that morning with his arm fully healed and the window looking as if nothing had happened, he couldn't ignore the reality of things anymore.

And blank eyes watching from a distance were pleased.

**Sorry for the long delay, guys. Sometimes life just sucks. But anyway, hope you liked it. I tried showing a little bit of Herobrine's 'humaneness' so to speak. Thanks!**


	4. You're Who?

Steve was passing out. He knew it. But before everything faded, he made up his mind.

"Thank...you…" He gasped, "...Herobrine"

And then… nothing.

But when he woke up that morning with his arm fully healed and the window looking as if nothing had happened, he couldn't ignore the reality of things anymore.

And blank eyes watching from a distance were pleased…

"...Alright. You can put your clothes back on. I just don't understand," Warren sounded worried, "How could your arm be healed? This is impossible"

"Never say never, Doc" Steve laughed.

"I did not say 'never' at any time," the doctor smirked, "You, on the other hand, just said it twice"

Warren didn't want to bring up the noise from the night before. He wanted Steve to tell him, but the boy was obviously avoiding it. Somehow, the educated man thought it might have to do with Steve's spontaneous recovery.

And the voice he'd heard….

That had been..._his _voice.

Herobr-

"Now what, Warren?" Steve asked.

"What? Oh, uh, I.." Warren coughed and tried again, "Well, I believe all we can do is be glad that you somehow…" the doctor wasn't sure how to put it.

"Yeah" Steve said, looking away, "Uh, Warren?"

"Yes?"

Hesitation. Then:

"Nothing"

"It is near noon, my friend. Let us go fetch some lunch"

"Yeah, sure. Warren?"

"Yes?"

"Uh, nothing"

"Goodness gracious, Boy, can't you speak today?"

"No, I guess not" Steve laughed nervously.

Warren led him to Arlia Diner, a quiet and classy restaurant in Arlia Wolf. Steve wasn't used to the delicacy of the menu, but managed to order with Warren's help. The miner had just finished his order when a tall man with slicked, black hair walked up to their table.

"Hey, Warren!"

"Vector!"

The men embraced. Steve noticed a scar on this man's, Vector's, forehead. Right on corner, just before his hairline. When Warren brushed his hair out his eyes with his fingers while tending to his arm, Steve had caught sight of a scar just like it, on the same spot.

They had identical scars.

"Sit down, friend, sit down" Warren urged happily. Vector turned to Steve.

"I'm Vector of Arlia Wolf"

"Steve"

"Nice to meet you, Steve" he said, testing out the name.

"The pleasure's mine" the miner responded with a smile.

"Steve," Warren said, "Vector is my brother-in-arms. We were in the army together"

Very quickly, Steve respected the man, and his already-present respect for Warren only increased.

"Yes," Vector laughed, "Back when we were young and indestructible"

Both men chuckled loudly.

"So, what happened?" Warren asked.

"No good" Vector said with a shake of his head.

"What's no good?" Steve asked, curiosity seeping in.

"Well, Steve, I was in the capital, Rubiks.."

The name caught his attention, and Steve unintentionally tuned the older man out.

'_There! That's the name of the place!' _Steve thought, _'Rubiks! Why didn't I ever ask Warren?...Derp. I wonder if-_

'_**Pay attention'**_

Steve's eyes widened. He looked around frantically. Where did it come from?

'_**Pay. Attention.'**_

Steve looked at Vector. Him and Warren were both looking at the miner with worry.

"Uh, sorry" Steve said quickly, "I need to go to the men's room"

Warren nodded slowly.

Steve let the door swing shut behind him as he entered the sizable restroom. To not lie any more than necessary, he did what he said he would. After washing his hands, Steve stared into the wide mirror. He did so, without moving, for a few minutes.

'_**Are you stuck?' **_

The young man's heart immediately started beating faster, but still, he didn't say anything.

'_**C'mon, Steve. I know you can hear me'**_

His eyes were bulging, his palms sweating. Steve gulped and took a deep breath.

'_Hero...brine?'_

'_**Kinda. Nice of you to answer me'**_

'_What _are _you?'_

'_**I'm you, Brainless'**_

_** '**_I'm you'. Only one other person had ever said that to him.

'_But you just said-'_

'_**Forget it' **_

Steve wasn't sure how to react to this new happening. He washed his face, splashing cold water over his eyes. Steve thought out his words carefully.

'_How...are you in my head?'_

'_**No point in trying so hard for wording, Partner. I can see your thoughts, anyway'**_

'_So answer me'_

'_**I'm in your head**_**,' **the voice said sarcastically, '_**Because I'm you. Didn't we go over this?'**_

'_If you're me, why hadn't you ever said anything?'_

'_**Doesn't matter'**_

'_Yes, it does matter, tell-'_

'_**Doesn't matter'**_

Steve felt as if the voice was smirking.

'_**Hey, 'member how I said to pay attention? I meant it. Go back out there'**_

Steve had no idea why he listened, but he did and went back to the table. Warren caught his eye and raised an eyebrow, but the miner answered with an almost imperceptible shake of his head.

Vector told Steve about how he had been trying to persuade the authorities in Rubiks to stop attempting to kill Endermen. With the destruction of the city, that had become pointless. From there, he and Warren engaged in a conversation about how the villages of Rubiks were falling into chaos. Steve was confused.

'_**Idiot. Rubiks was the city that all, or almost all, the villages of this Land depended on. For food. For livestock. For trade. It's gone now, which means most of the villages around here don't have a source to satisfy their never-ending needs'**_

Steve thought hard about this.

'_**Scarcity' **_the voice said slowly and sarcastically, followed by words Steve couldn't quite understand, but he was sure they were meant to be insulting.

Steve tried hard not to do two things at that moment: One, to not nod his head. Two, to not freak out. That voice had explained something to him. _Explained _it.

'_What the Nether are you?'_

'_**Wow, you really **_**are **_**stupid'**_

Steve didn't answer. Whatever. He could think about this some other time. After that, the three of them had small talk all the way into night. Warren and Vector talked all the way to the front door, where the latter got on his horse and left.

"Well, shall we go home, Steve?"

"Yeah, Warren. Let's go"

The old doctor and the young miner started to make their way back to Warren's house.

"I am still puzzled as to how your arm is recovered.."

"Uh...yeah...yeah, me too"

Neither of them spoke afterwards. When they arrived at his house, Warren promised Steve he could start moving into his own house the next day. With that thought in mind, Steve retired to his temporary room for a good night's rest. He closed his eyes, his mind buzzing with thoughts, and fell asleep…

… Sapphire. That was the first thing that came to his mind. The tall, deep blue skyscrapers had to be made of Sapphire. There were puffy, white clouds in the sky, but something was off. Something was off about everything.

"Where am I?"

"**I think the question is, where have you been?"**

Steve's head slowly turned.

"It's you!"

"**It's me"**

That was Steve's first look. A slim, but muscular man with a long dark gray cloak, almost black, reaching over his ankles. Dark boots. A hood covering his features. He was able to see shoulder length, shaggy hair and..

Deep purple eyes.

Glowing.

Like an Enderman's.

This was...strange.

"Where am I?" Steve asked again.

"**Pity you don't know this place, Steve. This is your conscious"**

What? What had he said?

"You mean, we're inside my head?"

"**That about sums it up"**

There was something eerie about his voice. It sounded...layered. As if several people were talking at once, their voices just slightly different. And his every answer was said sarcastically, in a hostile manner, almost spat.

"So, why am I here?"

"**I brought you"**

"Why?"

"**To show you"**

"Show me what?"

"**Were you born this stupid?"**

"What are you talking about?"

"**Never mind"**

Steve sighed and looked around him. It still didn't make sense why he was here, or how it was possible.

"Are we upside-down?"

"**Yes! Thank you, Steve, for figuring that out. It only took you way too long"**

"Shut up"

More silence. It was strange that they were upside-down, but interestingly enough, everything was as if they weren't. The man's cloak wasn't falling, their hands weren't dangling above their heads. Steve decided that the information wasn't going to come from the sky..which was in the wrong place.

"So, why are you in here"

"**Because I'm you"**

"If you're me, does that make you Herobrine?"

"**Kinda"**

"Yes or no, dammit!"

"**No" **he chuckled.

"So why did he say that?"

"**To make things simple on your incompetent brain"**

"Make what simple?"

"**You wouldn't understand even if I tried to explain it"**

"Ok, I can take that. So, why aren't we just one person?"

"**Because of our blood"**

"What's wrong with it?"

"**Nothing wrong, just heritage"**

"What's our heritage?"

"**You'll find out. Don't worry"**

Suddenly, Steve found himself angry.

"Listen, there's a lot of crap going on in my life right now, I don't need you confusing things any more. I don't understand half the stuff that's happening, and here you come out of nowhere. Explain yourself"

"**My, I'm sure you can ask nicely" **he grinned. His teeth, pearly white, were also noticeable from under the hood.

"Explain who you are to me, _please_" Steve spat.

"**Well, close enough. I'm you. We're one another. Because of who we come from, we're split, and we can't be one person until you accept me. Which you haven't done. Really, it all comes down to our father. Because of who he was, we are who we are"**

"Does this relate to Herobrine somehow?"

"**Yes"**

"How?"

"**Not now, Steve. There'll be a better time"**

"When?"

"**Later"**

Steve was frustrated.

"Okay, why couldn't I hear you before?"

"**I was always here, Steve. Watching. But I was weak. Too weak to break through the neuronic barrier between our minds"**

"What changed?"

His eyes glowed.

"**Herobrine came into your life, Steve. His power, the energy radiating off of him, it was too much. It flowed right into us. You didn't know, but I did. It called to my sensed, strengthened me. You've been confused, doubtful, and sorrowful. Your control over our mind has been slipping. You opened a wide door for me to step through. Soon, I'll be the one in charge"**

Steve was terrified at the man's explanation. But he couldn't show it.

"I thought you wanted me to accept you"

"**When did I ever say that? I merely stated the only way we could be one. I never said anything about desiring that"**

Steve rubbed his temples.

"You know what?" he said angrily, "I've had enough of this! I'm done! You don't want to be straight with me? I don't care, anymore. Just stay out of my way!"

Steve inhaled sharply as he found himself back in his bed. He was surprised he was back out, but didn't question it. He didn't think about the surrounding villages' problems, didn't think about Warren's words or that voice's. Didn't think about Herobrine.

Instead, he threw his head back down on his pillow and hoped sleep would come sooner or later.

Preferably sooner.

**A/N: New chapter! Thanks for reading! What do you think? Also, I've been thinking...Should there be cursing in this fic? Please let me know, so I can write how you guys want me to! Thanks again!**


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